The Chronicles of Soul

Day Three

For the first three days we have made good progress under sail. Having nothing of particular importance to record during the intial stages of our journey, the artists onboard our vessel today amused themselves by making sketches of some of their fellow crew members and giving imaginary names to the seabirds which followed in our wake.

It had been decided to head west because word had reached us shortly before our departure of renewed and increasingly violent activity in the Third Kingdom of Equestria. There could be no doubt that the dragon attacks, once confused to livestock and occasional assaults on lone individuals who had strayed too far into the hills, had increased greatly in both magnitude and number. The latest incident had reportedly occurred in the step hills of the Lilarrean Mountains, a relatively low area, where an old man had been slain as he farmed his crops.

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Day Four

The winds that have carried us so far in the first few days have now blown themselves out and our ships are becalmed. We are making some progress thanks to the efforts of our oarsponies but the mood has grown noticably darker as, for the first time, the ponies begin to contemplate their fate. At around noon there was a brief moment of levity when we were hailed by on of the other ships. It appeared that they had discovered a stowaway in the grain store - a mare of about sixteen who gave her name as 'Amalai'. She was winched across to our vessel and when I questioned her she explained that she'd overheard on of the warriors talking about our mission back at the port and was unable to resist the adventure. We both knew that it was too late to turn back and the mare seemed likable enough, so I told her she can earn her passage by serving as my assistant until we make landfall.

We were passing between a series of small islands at dusk when I first heard the lookout's cry. The stallion pointed his hoof to a patch of sea in the middle distance where the water's surface was boiling angrily. Dark clouds swirled in the sky above and although it was unlike anything I have ever seen before, I knew instinctively that something evil was about to rise from the depths.

The ship's sails began to snap back and forth, cracking loudly as viscous gusts ripped into the canvas. Across the water I could hear agitated cries from our compatriots on the other vessels and there could be no doubt that they were right to be afraid. Experienced seafarers one and all, they knew that the whole Pegasi race themselves, for all their strength and speed, could never conjure up a storm such as this within the few short minutes that had passed. By now the water immediately ahead of us was heaving ominously and great plumes of spray were being hurled into the air where the waves pounded a jagged  rocky outcrop on our starboard side.

I looked up and was momentarily awestruck by the sky above us. Never before have I seen the elements exhibit such fury and yet there was a terrible beauty to the black clouds which spiralled overhead, twisting and turning in on themselves as lightning bolts slashed through their dark, seething forms.

I swiftly trotted below deck in the full knowledge that the oppurtunity for preparing our defence against this threat would be brief indeed. The ship began to pitch violently as I rifled through a great trunk seeking the equipment I would need. Hurrying back through a corridor I found Agorius emerging from his cabin and, with all the sternness I could muster, bade the stallion prince return to the relative safety of his bunk.

Back on the main deck the scene that greeted me was one of chaos. It was as dark as night by now and the crew worked furiously to secure all the loose objects and strip the sails. Returning to the bow of the mighty vessel I found my worst fears confirmed.

A dark funnel of cloud was slowly descending from the center of the maelstrom and within it something unspeakable was beginning to take shape. Out of the corner of my blue eyes I could see Amalai cowering on her haunches in a small storage compartment at the side of the deck and I ordered her below. She was too terrified to move, however, and I had not the time to escort her, so I turned my attention to the contents of the small cloth bag I'd retrieved from the trunk. In front of me a low plinth provided just enough space for the ritual I would have to perform. I cursed the stiffness of my ageing hooves as I fought to undo the bag's drawstring and release the nine flattish pebbles contained within. Eventually they spilled out, bouncing off one another and skidding of the foam-flecked wooden surface of the plinth.

To form the Sacred Circle and generate the energy required, the outer ring of eight stones must all be touching each other and the ninth must be placed in the very center, something that became harder and harder to achieve as the conditions progressively worsened. Once I nearly had the formation, but the ship was struck by a great wave that shook her to the core, sending the stones tumbling across the deck. At that moment we crested another huge and as we plunged downwards into the relative calm of the watery canyon between the peaks I made another desperate attempt to complete the pattern. After failing again I realised that it was only by beaching on the lee side of the approaching land mass that we would be able to find a stable base on which to perform the ceremony and a few moments later, skilfully guided by our Captain, we found our vessel heaving itself into a shingle bay and rolling onto its side. Amalai decided to break cover, finding in herself a renewed courage as the unicorn galloped from the shadows to assist me. In the darkness we could search the island only by the light of the brief but intense lightning flashes and by the time we'd located a suitable vantage point our foe was fully formed, its immense bulk towering over us like the embodiment of evil itself. A grotesque head, half dragon and half serpent, jutted foward from the main column of swirling wind and water on a barbed and scaly neck.

At the sides its claws were clearly visible, but most terrifying of all was the creature's cry, a guttural scream which melded with the ocean's roar to produce a noise of such extreme ferocity that it shook the ground on which we stood.

The leading vessel was now no more than a few seconds away from the base of the tornado. It was impossible for me to determine whether this fearsome apparition was merely composed of the elements or whether it had somehow metamorphosed into flesh and blood, thereby acquiring the ability to attack in the manner of other beasts. Either way, we were all in grave danger since the tornado itself would surely tear our vessels to shreds even if the monster could not. The outer ring of pebbles was ready and as I dropped the ninth stone into place it was immediately apparant that the alignment had been perfect. A powerful white light, like a miniature lightning bolt, raced around the outer ring, bathing the stones in its glow. Amalai stood to one side of me, her look of terror now having given way to one of sheer wonderment as the strange light illuminated her purple coat. A second later the ring of energy arched into the center pebble just as I knew it would and I recognised this as the moment to strike. Without hesitation, I touched the tip of my horn to the central stone and felt the familiar jolt as the supernatural power coursed through its length.

My horn acts as a conducter and it was crucial that my aim was true if we were to avoid any appalling fate. For a brief but agonising moment nothing happened. Then, the tip suddenly flashed with bright light. My horn kicked again and as I raised it skywards an intense flash streaked up through the darkness, piercing the gloom. The victorious cries of our fellow ponies could be heard above the din of the ocean as the energy stream found its target and a second later the sky appeared to burst open as the creature itself exploded with cataclysmic force, raining debris all around. So violent was the blast that we were all thrown off our legs and as the pebbles scattered once again I found myself unable to prevent atleast two of them from boucing across the rock surface and dopping into the ocean, where they would remain beyond use for all time.

Our crew ponies were jubilant, but I was not so sure that the danger had passed. The tornado that had spawned the monster now appeared to be dissipating and spiralling into the ocean, but as the seas around us calmed I began to feel more uneasy than ever. No more than a couple of minutes had passed before the ocean was completely still again, the tornado having blown itself out.

Still the dark clouds loomed overhead, circling with less urgency than before but maintaining their threat of evil. A cry from a crew pony onboard the leading vessel, The Verana, heralded the peril we were about to face. We could not make out the stallion's words at first, but shortly afterwards our ears were assailed by the roar of the phenomenon that had so alarmed him. Not three leagues distant, at the point where the tornado had disappeared, an enormous whirlpool had formed in the oceans surface. I watched with horror as The Verana banked sharply into the revolving wall of water and embarked on its final, desperate journey. Our oarsponies, along with those of the other vessels, immediately rushed below decks and set about the task of turning the ships around. If a similar fate was to be avoided our other ships would need to put a good stretch of clear water between themselves and this gaping maw in the ocean's surface as quickly as possible. As our own vessel pushed back through the surf and came about I could see only the tip of The Verana's main mast, now making its third circuit of the thunderous whirlpool. She appeared to be moving faster and faster in the ever tightening funnel of water and there was absolutely nothing I could do to save those on board. I watched with several other crew members as she disappeared from view, dragged down into the unimaginable darkness of the ocean's depths.

Gradually, the roar subsided and the skies at last began to clear. For now, at least, we were safe. We took a new bearing and collected a few items that we found floating near the point where The Verana had been taken down before resuming our journey, assisted by the light easterly wind which now filled our sails.

Exhausted and deeply saddened by the day's events, I had not intended to make further entries in the journal tonight but, as I sit here now, the page in front of me lit only by the faint glow of a candle, my mind begins to travel back to the distant past.

Many years ago, a Unicorn Wizard named Septimus, whose powers were at least the equal of my own, served alongside me in the Court of our ruler Aegis Agorius. There was peace throughout the four Kingdoms during that period and he worked with me harmoniously for quite some time before beginning to grow resentful of my friendship with the King. In truth, Aegis extended no favours to me that he would not have extended to my colleague. But, as time went by and Septimus' imaginings took hold, he slowly withdrew his services, ultimately making only ocassional appearances at the King's court.

A few months later I was approached by one of Septimus' apprentices who'd become fearful of her master's wrath after interrupting him in the midst of a dark ritual. I confronted Septimus in the expectation that some kind of misunderstanding had occured, but he was defiant when I questioned him, aggressively and somewhat mysteriously declaring himself answerable only to an authority higher than my own. So when, shortly afterwards, the apprentice suddenly disappeared I had no alternative but to tell the King what I knew.

Septimus was duly summoned and a dreadful argument ensued, the culmination of which was the King's decision to banish Septimus to one of the Northen Islands. Unable to exile Septimus against his wishes, Aegis was forced to enlist my help in carrying out the deed, an act that further enraged Septimus and confirmed his sense of betrayal.

And now we have come to this. The King made mention of Septimus in his letter and in the light of today's events I can be sure that his suspicions were well founded. The creature that attacked us today could have been the work of none other than Septimus himself.

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Day Six

We have made good progress for the last two days, but the mood on board has been solemn. This morning we sighted Sparken Island on the far horizon. Its craggy cliffs rose sharply out of an otherwise featureless ocean and its peaks reached skywards like the gnarled legs of a drowning stallion. Most of those on board knew it to be the place where Septimus now resided and they stared fixedly at its forbidding profile as we passed by.

The Captain of our vessel later reported to me that he had noticed a marked change in the shape of Sparken Island since he was last in these waters. The rocky peaks had now been joined by a cluster of colossal towers, darker even than the grey granite that sorrounded them, and were forced to conclude that Septimus had built a fortress on the island.

Briefly, the thought occurred to me that we could divert nothwards and seek Septimus himself, rather than pursue the great beasts he now appeared to command, but on reflection I realised how foolhardy this course of action would have been. The waters around Sparken Island are extremely perilous at this time of year and were we to make landfall successfully and find our quarry in residence, we would have been confronting Septimus at the height of his powers.

The rest of the day passed without incident and I spent several hours demonstrating simple magic to young Agorius. Like his father, he shows great determination and strength of character but he has very little instinctive feeling for the Ways of Wizardry. It frustrates him so but I try to explain that the qualities he does possess will one day make him a truly worthy King, which I know to be true. There is something different about the young mare, though. She is usually a fiery little waif but she spent all afternoon sitting on her haunches, watching Agorius and I without uttering a single word. I could sense her understanding, however, and when I shot an occasional glance in her direction she met my eyes with a look that spoke to me of the wisdom of centuries.